Category: Booking Travel

It’s often necessary to book award flights months in advance to secure your seat. With such a long period between the date you book and the date you fly, it’s easy for a change of plans to require alterations to or cancellation of an award. In case you need to make changes to your ticket, here's a list of award ticket change and cancellation policies and the fees you can expect to pay.

The Frontier Airlines GoWild! Pass can be very valuable, but it's not for every traveler. For travelers who don't need checked bags, seats, or other perks — and can be flexible enough to take a trip on a moment's notice — this pass might be for you.

If you want the benefits of elite status within a hotel program but don't happen to have that status, leveraging luxury hotel programs could deliver just what you're looking for. Upgrades, complimentary breakfast, and late checkout are just a few of the perks you'll be eligible for with the right program.

Alaska Airlines and Starlux (the Taiwan-based airline) launched a partnership earlier this year, and mileage redemptions with Alaska Mileage Plan miles are now live. That means you can book Starlux awards. And I'm not just saying, "In theory, you can book awards." You really can book awards...pretty much any day you want. Let's show you how to take advantage of this award availability for a dream trip to Taiwan or onward to other points in Asia.

The United Airlines MileagePlus program is popular and easy to use. This post shows you all of the options for earning miles, plus how to use them to book award travel with United Airlines or its partners.

One of the feel-good milestones of travel is achieving elite status within a loyalty program. What feels even better? Getting elite status for free, thanks to holding the right credit card, through your existing elite status, or by status matching from another program. Here are all the shortcuts to rental car elite status.

Interested in knowing more about RewardsPlus, the partnership between the United and Marriott loyalty programs that offers enhanced benefits for elite members from each program? Let's look at the benefits available and how you can qualify for them.

Redeeming miles for partner award flights is a great way to increase the value of your frequent flyer miles. Unfortunately, it’s also misunderstand and can be a daunting task for first-timers. How do you know which airlines you can book, and how do you find the flights? We cover all of this in our guide to partner award availability.

Many air carriers like to levy "carrier-imposed surcharges," often referred to as "fuel surcharges" or YQ as a shorthand. These are extra fees that add up quickly when you book a flight using your miles. However, there are a handful of countries that limit fuel surcharges on flights, and you can use this to your advantage.

Tired of searching flight award inventory for hours on end, only to be disappointed by results? Let a new tool do all of the heavy lifting for you! Roame.Travel searches a dozen award programs for flight award space on the route of your choosing, all at the click of a button.

If you've managed to earn a good stash of airline miles, the next step is understanding how many miles you need to book your next trip. Don't let the airlines trick you into paying more than you should! Here's what you need to understand, and some tips to follow, so you can save miles on your next award redemption.

Instead of spending hours researching the best flight deals, sign up for a service that does it for you. There are many options to choose from and most of them are free. This post gives you all the details you need to know so that you never miss a great flight deal.

Fixed-value points and miles don’t get nearly as much attention as their transferable counterparts, but they form an essential part of any solid points-and-miles strategy. These points work just like cash, allowing you to redeem for any flight without having to worry about blackout dates or award charts. In this post, we cover our favorite types of fixed-value points and how to decide when to use them.

Free hotel nights are a perk that everyone loves to enjoy. Even better, most large hotels brands allow you to gift this to a friend or family member. In this post, we'll go over the policies for each hotel and how you can gift an award stay to a friend or loved one.

How far out you can book a hotel? And does making reservations at the far side of the booking window provides any tangible benefit? Each hotel chain handles reservations differently, with the booking windows of major hotel chains ranging from 11 months through to a mammoth 3 years.

Are you tired of hearing about points deals just to find out that it only applies to solo travelers or couples? This guide shows families how to find sweet spots with multiple airlines. From better availability to companion passes to kids' discounts, we'll show you the realistic options you have for booking family travel using points.

Few people pay attention to the minutiae of changes in award program terms and conditions. A snippet added here. A deleted phrase there. These often don't matter much. One recent change, however, deserves attention. Here's the growing problem in award travel that I think is unfair to travelers.

MaxMyPoint is a newer tool designed to help travelers redeem their hotel points. With coverage for Hyatt, Hilton, and Marriott, you can search thousands of properties worldwide for live award availability. There are both paid and free options, plus the ability to set alerts when new rewards open up. Here's how it works.

Renting a car can be a stressful and expensive part of traveling. In this post, we’re going to show you how to utilize the powerful search and rental tracking capabilities of AutoSlash to simplify that process and save you a lot of money along the way.

Flying Blue (the award program for Air France, KLM, and more) can be one of the cheapest ways to fly to Europe, especially when you take advantage of monthly Promo Rewards and/or frequent transfer bonuses. By knowing one trick, you can easily seek out the lowest award prices available by using the Flying Blue open dates award calendar. Here's how to utilize this lesser-known tool.

The creators of AutoSlash turned their attention to hotels with the launch of HotelSlash, planning to help you save on hotel bookings. The subscription-only site promises users a host of features, including deep discounts that could add up to huge savings every year.

The new year is well and truly underway! If you've resolved to travel more in 2023, we're going to show you how points and miles are the perfect vehicle to help you accomplish your travel goals without breaking the bank.

From flying business class across the Atlantic for 35k miles to business class flights pricing 73% less than expected, sometimes awards price out cheaper than they should. These unpublished award sweet spots can be a bonus for travelers who find them.

British Airways Avios provide incredible value if you know how to redeem them. Beyond flights with British Airways itself (which can have high taxes and fees), Avios can also be used to book award travel on 20+ airlines across the globe - including American Airlines and Alaska. In this guide, we'll show you how to find Avios award availability and redeem your Avios for maximum value.

New York to London is the busiest long-haul international route in the world. Even amidst a pandemic, JetBlue joined five other carriers in offering service between the two cities. Read more to learn the best ways to book any of the wide variety of potential flights using points and miles.

Love it or hate it, Airbnb has forever changed the face of travel. In this guide, we're doing a deep dive into all things Airbnb to demonstrate the fantastic value it can present for travelers. After reading this, you should have all the tools you need to book Airbnb stays like a pro.

Low cash prices and increased earning opportunities are making flexible points more valuable than ever before. With these points, you have a choice between transferring to airline and hotel partners or redeeming for a fixed, cash value. The conventional wisdom is to transfer points for higher value. Today, I’ll explain why that advice might not be true right now—and how to make the right choice on your next redemption.

While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to make traveling difficult, one dream destination has already re-opened its borders to all travelers. If you've ever heard of Tahiti, Bora Bora, of French Polynesia, chances are you've dreamed of vacationing there. Thanks to significant safety precautions and generous award availability, now could be the perfect time to make that dream a reality. We will show you how to do so in this post.

United has announced 7 exciting new routes for 2021 to Hawaii, Africa and India. Although details are slim on some routes, others are already on sale. So, we at AwardWallet dug into the best ways to book these new routes with miles and points. Here's how to book United business class to Hawaii from 15,000 miles each way, Africa starting at 52,000 miles each way, and India for as little as 52,500 miles each way.